Liverpool look to end struggles away from home

LONDON: Paris Saint-Germain’s struggles to avoid an embarrassing group stage exit in the Champions League began when they fell victim to the aura of Anfield and Roberto Firmino’s stoppage time winner for Liverpool in September.

But with the roles reversed and the Premier League side headed to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday (today) with PSG needing to win to keep qualification for the last 16 in their own hands, the French champions can take solace in the fact Liverpool pack a far weaker punch on the road in the Champions League.

Anfield has long been credited as the extra man for the five-time European champions, but rarely has the contrast between Liverpool’s highs and lows in the Champions League been as stark as in the past few months.

Roma were reeling 5-0 down after just over an hour of last season’s semi-final first leg, PSG were outclassed this season despite the narrow margin of the dramatic 3-2 victory and Red Star Belgrade were dismissed serenely 4-0 in October.

Last season Liverpool only secured victory on the road twice in Europe and were left hanging on for a 4-2 defeat in Rome that edged Jurgen Klopp’s men through by the odd goal on aggregate. They were then beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in the final in Kiev.

Two colossal errors by Loris Karius in that final pushed Liverpool to splash out a then world record fee for a goalkeeper in Alisson Becker as part of a £160 million summer spending spree that also brought in Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri.

And while an upturn in fortunes, particularly defensively, has been seen in an unbeaten start to the Premier League season, it has not yet cured Liverpool’s travel sickness in the Champions League.

The visitors failed to muster a single shot on target in losing 1-0 to Napoli on matchday two and Red Star enjoyed their biggest night since winning the European Cup in 1991 when the Serbs beat Liverpool 2-0 in their first Champions League victory for 26 years.

“I have only 10 fingers,” Klopp quipped when asked to put his finger on what went wrong in Belgrade.Unless the German finds a way to stop the rot extending to five straight European defeats away from Anfield, Liverpool will likely need to beat Napoli by two goals to progress to the last 16.

That would not be an impossible task. It would rekindle memories of a Steven Gerrard-inspired 3-1 win over Olympiakos with a two-goal margin of victory needed in the final group game of the 2004/05 season — the last time Liverpool won the Champions League.

Meanwhile, in a month marred by off-field controversies for Paris Saint-Germain, the fitness of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar casts the longest shadow over the crunch clash against Liverpool.PSG go into the game in third place in Group C, and a defeat against Liverpool, coupled with a win for Napoli at home to Red Star Belgrade, would condemn them to an early elimination.

Such a prospect is unthinkable for a club with the ambitions of PSG, who are desperate to improve on consecutive exits from the Champions League in the last 16.Mbappe and Neymar both suffered injuries playing in international friendly matches last week, and watched Saturday’s 1-0 home win over Toulouse from the stands.